Dyeing apparatus



May 30, 1944. H. H. RAYMOND DYEING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14, 1941' 3 Sheets-Sheet l qy aalzd I May 30, 1944. H. H. RAYMOND DYEING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14,1941 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1944- H. H. RAYMOND 2,350,191

DYEING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 14, 1941 3 eets-Sheet 5 packages and discharge into the kier.

Patented May 30, 1944 DYE ING APPARATUS Horace H. Raymond, Berlin, Conn, assignor to Atlantic Rayon Corporation, Providence, R. 1., a corporation of Rhode Island Application January 14, 1941, Serial No. 374,311

17 Claims. '(01. 68189) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dyeing or otherwise similarly processing materials, such as yarn and thread in package form. By the term package as employed in the following specification and claims is meant any wound mass oi. textile material whatever its character or form and whether or not supported from within or without.

In package-dyeing apparatus commonly used the textile packages are mounted in axial alinement on a perforated tube in a suitable kier or vat and the dye-liquor is supplied under pressure to the interior of the perforated tube to cause it to flow radially outwardly through the The dyeliquor may be circulated continuously from the kier through suitable conduits back to the center of the perforated tubes. With such apparatus a maximum amount of dye-liquor will flow through relatively soft packages having the least density and greatest permeability while comparatively little of the dye-liquor may pass through the packages of greater density having less permeability. It has been found that the color shade of the dyed yarn in a package is directly dependent upon the rate of flow of the dye-liquor therethrough and the time Of treatment so that when a batch of packages is dyed in the manner explained above the packages having the greatest permeability will have a relatively dark color shade while packages having less permeability will have a lighter shade. Consequently, a number of packages of each dyed batch must be rejected and re-dyed because of unsatisfactory shade.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for dyeing or otherwise similarly processing textile packages in which the rate of flow of the treating fluid through different packages is maintained substantially uniform regardless of variation in their permeability.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package holder or enclosure divided into separate compartments with automatically-operated valve-means in each compartment for maintaining the rate of flow therefrom substantially constant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package holder of the type indicated having inner and outer tubes with sealing disks therenovel valve-means for controlling the exhaust of the treating fluid from each compartment with said means automatically operated by the pressure of the fluid in the compartment to maintain the rate of flow therefrom substantially constant.

Another object of the invention is to provide an expansible sealing disk which is operated by the pressure of the treating fluid to seal the separate compartments one from another.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dyeing apparatus of the type indicated which is of relatively simple and compact construction and adapted for use over long periods of time without requiring repair or replacement of its parts.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred form and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus, by way of example, and two different types of expansible sealing disks for use therewith as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of a dyeing apparatus incorporating the novel features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through one of the package holders showing the series of sealing disks between adjacent packages for dividing the holder into separate compartments and the metering valve-means foreach compartment for controlling the rate of flow of the treating fluid therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the metering valves disclosed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken'on line 44 of Fig. 2 showing the central aperture and radial measuring slots in the flexible diaphragm of the metering valve;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view take on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the construction of the metering valve-body and the relatively large outlet openings therein;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 6li of Fig. 3 showing the relative position of the flexible diaphragm and the end of the nipple of the valve-body when the pressure of the treating fluid is at minimum to form a relatively large measuring orifice therebetween;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the diaphragm flexed into engagement with the nipple of the valve-body when the pressure of the treating fluid is at maximum to cause the fluid to exhaust through the slots in the diaphragm;..

a perspective view of the flexible diaf the metering valve; Pig. is a plan view of a hollow expansible Fig. is a transverse sectional view taken on line l9l9 of Fig. 9 showing the expansible U- haped sealing ring positioned between the spaced ilangesw at the outer periphery of the sealing disk; and p Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of a modified form of sealing disk.

The present invention may be applied to use with any suitable type of treating vessel, being herein illustrated as used with a cylindrical kier or vat 2 of the type shown and described in Unlted'stateii Letters Patent to Royal Little et al., No. 2,125,937, issued August 9, 1938. The kier 2 shown in Fig. l is in the form of a cylindrical vessel having a flat bottom 3 supported on a suitable frame having legs 4. Opening through the center of the bottom 8 of the kier 2 is an intake pipe 5 having its flange attached thereto by bolts 1. Within the kier 2 is an annular seat-rim 6 surrounding the opening of the pipe 5 and clamped to the bottom 8 of the kier by the bolts 1 for the pipe. Projecting in wardly and upwardly from the annular seat 6 are a series of spaced guiding arms 8 joined together at their upper end by a hub 9. Pinned in the hub 9 is a vertically extending rod l9 having a screw-threaded portion H at its upper end. On the side of the kier 2 adjacent its bottom is an exhaust pip l2.

A hollow portable carrier 15 is provided with bracket l8 for supporting it on the bottom wall 3 of the kier 2. The bottom wall of the hollow carrier i5 has a central opening H with an annular seat l8 surrounding the opening and adapted for cooperation with the seat 9 on the bottom 3 of the kier 2. The upper wall of the carrier l5 has a series of nozzles i9 mounted in apertures therein for communication with the interior of the carrier. ,Each nozzle l9 extends upwardly from the hollow carrier i5 and terminates in an annular seat 29 with rightangular guiding flanges or vanes 2| and 22 therein projecting above the annular seat and tapering to a point at their upper ends, see Fig. 2. Mounted in a suitable boss 23 at the center of the upper wall of the carrier I5 is a vertical tube 24 through which the rod ID of the kier 2 whole assembly 'lowered bodily into the kier 2,

the arms 8 at the bottom of the kier guiding the carrier to aline its annular seat l8 with the annular seat 8 surrounding the intake pipe 5.

The pressure plate 3| is then applied in the kier and the shaft 32 turned by means of the hand-wheel 33 to screw the sleeve 34 onto the threaded portion ll of the rod l9 to draw the pressure plate against the springs 39 at the upper end of the standpipes 23 to hold the latter seated firmly against the nozzles i9. As thus far described the apparatus is generally similar to that heretofore commonly in use.

In accordance with the present invention each package holder 38 comprises the inner perforated tubular member or stand-pipe 28, an outer tubular member or cylindrical casing 39 surrounding the packages P mounted on the inner member, and a series of sealing disks 49 positioned between the ends of adjacent packages and extending between the inner and outer tubular members to form a series of separate compartments 4| for the individual packages. The inner tubular member 28 has a series of perforations 31 spaced along it length, an annular flange 42 at its lower end adapted to en'- gage the nozzle seat 29 and a plug 43 in its upper end for sealing the top of the member. The plug 43 in the upper end of the tubular member 28 is provided with a threaded stud 44 on which the cap 29 is screwed to compress the packages P between it and the flange 42 at the lower end of the member.

The outer cylindrical casing 39 is'of greater length than the inner tubular member 28 to extend beyond both ends of the latter and is of slightly larger internal diameter than the outside diameter of the packages P to permit it to telescope freely thereover. The outer casing 39 is imperforate except for apertures 45 constituting outlet ports, there being one outlet port for each compartment in the holder located at the longitudinal center thereof.

The sealing disks 49 may be of any suitable form and, as illustrated in Figs. 2,9 and 19, each disk comprises a pair of annular plates 48 and 49 held in spaced relationship by washers 59. Screws 5| extending through one of the plates 48 and the spacing washers 59 are screwed into the opposite plate 49 to hold the parts assembled. The washers 59 are located midway between the inner and outer peripheries of the plates 48 and 49 to define an annular space 41 between the plates at the outer periphery of the disk 49. The diameter of the opening in the plates 48 and 49 of each disk 49 is such as to adapt the disk to fit closely around i9 on the hollow carrier l5. The packages P as herein illustrated are each in the form of a cylindrical yarn mass wound on a perforated tubular core C. Each standpipe 28 has a cap 29 at its upper end with a compression spring 39 projecting therefrom and the series of standpipes are held against the seats 29 of the nozzes l9 by a pressure plate 3| overlying the springs. A central shaft 32 journaled in the pressure plate 31 has a hand-wheel 33 at one end and an interiorly-threaded sleeve 34 at its opposite end adapted to be screwed down on the threaded end portion ll of the rod l9. Thus the packages P may be mounted in axial alinement on the standpipes 28 and the latter mounted on the nozzles l9 of the portable carrier l5 at any suitable place outside the kier and t e the inner tubular member 28 while the outer diameter of the plates is slightly less than the inside diameter of the outer casing 39. Mounted in the annular pace 41 between the plates 48 and 49 of each disk 49 is a ring 52 of resilient material such as rubber or the like. The rings 52 are preferably of U-shape in cross-section with their spaced sides extending radially inwardly adjacent the inner faces of the plates 48 and 49 and their outer peripheries extending between the plates either flush with or slightly within the outer peripheries of the latter when member 28 part of the fluid is directed radially outwardly through its perforations 31 and between the plates 48 and 49 of each of the sealing disks 40. The pressure of the treating fluid will thus act on the interior of the ring 52 in each disk 48 to expand it into sealing engagement with the inside wall f the outer casing 39 and simultaneously fixedly engage its spaced sides with the inside faces of the plates 48 and 48. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that one of the sealing disks 48 is positioned between the flange 42 at the lower end of the inner tubular member 28 and the bottom of the lowermost packag P and another disk' 48 is positioned between the cap 29 and the end of the uppermost package P, whereby each individual package is positioned in a separate compartment 4! between the inner tubular member and the outer casing 39.

In Fig. 11 a sealing disk 40 of modified construction is illustrated having the same spaced plates 48 and 49. spacer washers 50 and screws 5|. In this modified form of construction, however. thin annular plates 53 and 54 are provided intervening between the washers 58 and plates 48 and 49. The annular plates 53 and 54 are of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the sides of the U-shaped expansible rings 52 and their outside diameters correspond to the inside diameter of the rings. Consequently, the outer peripheries of the thin annular plates 53 and 54 aline with the inner peripheries of the spaced sides of the ring 52 to direct the treating fluid between the sides thereof whereby to prevent the fluid from escaping between the sides of the ring and the faces of the spaced plates 48 and 49 of the sealing disk 40.

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Fig. 11 a centering plate 55 of annular form is shown for maintaining the casing 38 concentric with the inner tubular member 28 so that the expansion of the resilient rings 52 will be uniform around the entire peripheries of the sealing disks 40. Preferably, one of the centering plates 55 is provided at the top and bottom of each package holder 38. p

A metering valve 80 is provided for each outlet port 45 in the outer casing 38, the valve being designed to operate automatically to regulate the flow of the treating fluid from its compartment to discharge a substantially constant amount of the fluid therefrom. In other words, the valves 68 for all of the several compartments 4| will discharge substantially the same amount of treating fluid whereby the same amount of dyeliquor will pass through each package P in a given period of time so that all the packages are subjected to the same condition of treatment regardless of variations in their permeability. Each valve 68 comprises a body-member 8| having a base curved to the contour of the surface of the casing 39 with a projecting nipple 82 positioned centrally thereof and an outer annular wall 83 concentric therewith.

The valve-body 6| is mounted on the casing 39 by means of a strap or band 65 encircling the casing with its end portions extending through apertures in the valve-body and turned back on themselves to provide loops 68; the terminal portions of the strap being attached to the valvebody by means of screws 69, see Figs. 5'and 6. The band 65 is tightened by means of set-screws 88 extending through the outer annular wall 83 of the valve-body 8| at opposite sides thereof and engaging the loops 88 at the terminal portions of the band. screwed into the valve-body 8| the encircling band 65 is drawn tightly around the outer surface of the casing 39 to fasten the valve-body rigidly thereto.

The projecting nipple 82 on the valve-body 8i has a central orifice 84 of a diameter corresponding to that of the outlet ports in the casing 38 and in alinement therewith when the valvebody is fastened in place. A gasket 81 is preferably protgided between the valve-body 8| and the casing 38 surrounding the alined port 45 and the orifice 84 to seal the joint. I A flexible diaphragm 10, see Fig. 8, is mounted on a flat annular seat H at the outer end of the annular wall 63 of the valve-body 8|, being clamped thereto by means of a cover plate I2 having an annular flange 13 which overlies the seat I I. A suitable sealing gasket is provided between the diaphragm l8 and flange 13 of the cover plate 12. The cover plate I2 is attached to the valve-body member 8| by means of screws 14 extending through the plate and the diaphragm and screwed into holes 15 in the annular wall 83. The outer edge of thenipple 82 is formed with a rounded lip I8 which lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the concentric annular seat II. Thus the flexible diaphragm 18 normally extends across the lip I8 of the nipple 82 of the valve-body 8| to provide a space therebetween forming an annular measuring orifice 18, see Fig.6. -The outer annular wall 83 of the valve-body 8| is also provided with a series of relatively large radially-disposed openings 'Il, see Fig. 5, for discharging the treating fluid which escapes through the annular measuring orifice l8.

To provide for automatic operation of the valve to vary the size of the measuring orifice 18 in I accordance with the pressure of the treating fluid in the compartment 4| the diaphragm I0 is provided-with a central opening 88 through which a portion of the treating fluid discharges into a chamber 8| between the cover plate 1-2 and the diaphragm. The diaphragm I0 is thus subjected to the pressure of the treating fluid on its area in the upper chamber and the diaphragm is so constructed as to flex toward the lip of the nipple in direct propoi'tion to the pressure. To provide for escape of the treating fiuid fromthe compartment 4| when the diaphragm Iii is flexed into engagement with the lip I8 at the outer end of the nipple 62 under maximum pressure conditions. as

indicated in Fig. 7, the diaphragm is provided withr such dimensions that at a 'maximum pressure of the treating fluid a predetermined constant amount of the treating fluid will pass through the slots and discharge through the exhaust iii) Thus, when the set-screws 86 are openings H in the sides of the valve-body 6|. A preferred embodiment of the invention having now been described in detail, the mode of operation of the apparatus is explained as follows.

The apparatus is prepared for a dyeing or similar processing treatment by first assembling the packages P on the standpipes or stringers 28. To t is end a sealing disk 40 is slid over the perforated tubular member 28 until it seats against the flange 42 at the bottom thereof. A package P is then slid onto the member 28 until its end seats on the sealing disk 40. The sealing disks 48 and packages P are then successively mounted on the member 28 in alternate arrangement until it is entirely filled, as illustrated in Fig. 2, with a sealing disk overlying the end of the uppermost package. The cap 29 is then screwed onto the threaded stud 44 of the plug 43 in the upper end of the member 28 to compress the packages between the sealing disks 8 separating their ends. The casing 88 is next telescoped over the packages P mounted on the member 28 to form a selfand 22 projecting from the nozzles to position the annular flanges 42 of the holders on the seats 20 of the nozzles. It will be understood that the portable carrier l5 may be located outside of the kier 2 and the application of package units 38 to the carrier be continued until each nozzle l8 has a package holder unit mounted thereon. It will also be understood that other methods may be used for assembling the packages P on their holders to form package units and for mounting the package units on the carriers. The loaded carrier I5 is then lifted bodily by suitable tackle and lowered into the kier 2 with the rod 50 at the center of the kier alined with the tube 25 on the carrier. As the portable carrier I5 is lowered into position the arms 8 projecting upwardly from the bottom of the kier 2 act to center the carrier to position its annular seat l8 concentric with the annular seat 6 in the kier. The pressure plate 3i is then applied to the kier and the shaft 32 rotated by the hand-wheel 33 to screw the sleeve 34 onto the screw-threaded end ll of the rod IE to apply pressure against the springs projecting above the caps 29 of the package holders 38 whereby to yieldingly press the holders against the seats 28 on the nozzles l9. The apparatus is then ready for operation. 1 i

The treating fluid, such as dye-liquor or the like, is supplied under pressure from a suitable pump, not herein shown, through the inlet conduit 5 to the hollow carrier l5 and forced upwardly through the inner perforated standpipes 28 of the holders 38. Some of the treating fluid will flow radially through the perforations 31 in the inner tubular members 28 into the hollow sealing disks to thereby expand the rings 52 into sealing engagement with the inside wall of the outer casing 39 to form a series of closed compartments 4|, one for each package P.

The treating fluid also will flow outwardly through the perforations 31 in the standpipes 25 and through the masses of yarn in the packages P to discharge from the individual compartments ll through the metering valves 60. As stated above, the rate of flow of the treating fluid from each compartment is,regulated by its metering valve 60 to maintain the rate of flow substantially constant in all the various compartments. Thus each package P of a batch is subjected to the same amount of treating fluid passing therethrough regardless of its density and permeability. To this end the treating fluid is caused to pass through the measuring orifice 16 between the end of the nipple 62 and the diaphragm I0. With a minimum pressure of the treating fluid in a compartment M the diaphragm 10 will assume the position illustrated in Fig. 6 and the measuring orifice I6 is of such dimension as to pass a predetermined quantity of the treating fluid. During operation of the apparatus the treating fluid passes through the opening 60 in the diaphragm 10 into the chamber 81 and flexes the diaphragm in accordance with the pressure of the fluid to decrease the size of the measuring orifice 16 in proportion to the pressure whereby to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow of the treating fluid from the compartment. 'Under maximum pressure conditions the diaphragm I8 is flexed into engagement with the lip I8 at the end of the nipple 62 to entirely close the measuring orifice '16, at which time the treating fluid is caused to escape through the measuring slots 82 which are so proportioned as to discharge a predetermined quantity of treating fluid at maximum pressure. For example, the treating fluid may be supplied to the interior of the package holder 28 at a pressure of twenty pounds per square inch. The valve 60 for each compartment 4! may be designed to exhaust two and one-half gallons of the treati. g fluid per minute with a pressure of the treating fluid in the compartment ranging from substantially zero to twenty pounds per square inch. When the treating fluid in a compartment 4! has no appreciable pressure, but with the package therein passing two and one-half gallons per minute the diaphragm 10 will be in the position illustrated in Fig. 6 to maintain a maximum opening of the measuring orifice 16. In these conditions the size of the measuring orifice is such as to exhaust the two and one-half gallons per minute. With a maximum pressure of the treating fluid in the compartment 4| oftwenty pounds per square inch the diaphragm 18 will be flexed to the position illustrated in Fig. 7 and the measuring slots 82 will still exhaust only two and one-half gallons of the treating fluid per minute. At any intermediate pressure of the treating fluid between substantially zero and twenty pounds per square inch the diaphragm 20 will be flexed to maintain an opening of the measuring orifice 16 corresponding to the pressure of the treating fluid which will discharge two and one-half gallons of the fluid per minute. Thus the same amount of treating fluid is passed through each of the packages P and. as all the packages are subjected to the same treatment by the fluid for a given period of time they will all have the same condition of treatment and therefore have a uniform shade of color when treated with a dyeliquor.

It will be observed from the foregoing specification that the present invention provides a novel form of apparatus for dyeing or otherwise treating textile materials in package form to insure the same treatment of all the packages in a batch and controlling the rate of flow of the treating fluid from each compartment to maintain it substantially uniform in all the different compartments. It will be observed still further that the present invention provides an apparatus of relatively simple construction to adapt it for economical manufacture and use.

While a preferred form of apparatus incorporating the novel features of the present invention is herein illustrated and described, it is to be understood that modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the package holders of the present invention may be made integral with the hollow carrier or may be either fixedly or detachably appliedto kiers of other constructions without departing from the. spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a compartment for enclosing a textile package,

through the package, and means responsive to the pressure 01' the fluid in the compartment for maintaining a constant rate of flow of the fluid from the compartment irrespective of the permeability of the package.

2. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a compartment for enclosinga textile package, means for suppLving a treating fluid under pressure to the compartment to cause it to flow through the package, and means operated automatically by the pressure of the fluid in the compartment to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow of the treating fluid from the compartment at any pressure of the fluid therein.

3. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a compartment for enclosing a textile package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to .the compartment to cause it to flow through the package, an outlet port in the compartment for exhausting the treating fluid therefrom, and valve-means cooperating with the outlet port to control the exhaust of treating fluid from the compartment, said valve-means being operated by the pressure of the treating fluid in the compartment for maintaining a constant rate of flow of the fluid therefrom.

4. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a compartment for enclosing a textile package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the compartment to cause it to flow through the package, an outlet port in the compartment for exhausting the treating fluid therefrom, and valve-means cooperating with the outlet port in the compartment for maintaining a constant rate of flow of the fluid therefrom whereby the same amount of treating fluid passes through the package during a predetermined period of time regardless of its permeability.

5. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a series of compartments each adapted to enclose a textile package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the compartments from a single source of recirculatory fluid to cause it to flow through the packages, and valve-means in each compartment for controlling the flow of the fluid therefrom, all of said valve-means having the same flow characteristics to,maintain the same rate of flow from all of the compartments.

6. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a plurality of compartments for separately containing textile packages, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the compartments from a single source of recirculatory fluid to cause it to flow through the packages therein, and valve-means in each compartment for maintaining a substantially constant rate of flow of the treating fluid therefrom, said valve-means in the plurality of compartments having the same flow characteristics whereby substantially the same amount of treating fluid will pass through all the packages regardless of variations in their permeability.

7. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a series of separate compartments each adapted to enclose a textile package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure from asingle source of recirculatory fluid to cause it to flow through the packages in the compartments, and valve-means in each compartment operated by the pressure of the treating fluid therein to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow of the treating fluid from the compartment, said valvemeans in the several compartments having the same flow characteristics whereby all the packages in the several compartments are subjected to the same amount of treating fluid.

8. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a holder for mounting a group of hollow packages, a casing surrounding the packages mounted on the holder, sealing means between adjacent packages forming a separate compartment for each package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the interior of the packages, and valve-means in the casing for controlling the rate of flow of the treating fluid from each compartment.

9. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a perforated tube for mounting a group of hollow packages, a casing surrounding the packages mounted on the tube, sealing means between adjacent packages forming a separate compartment for each package, means for supplying a treating fluid under Pressure to the interior of the perforated tube, and valve-means in the casing communicating with each compartment and operated by the pressure of the treating fluid therein to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow from each compartment regardless of the permeability of the package therein.

10. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a holder for mounting a group of hollow packages, a casing surrounding the packages mounted on the holder, disks between adjacent packages, radial expansion means on the disks operated by the pressure of the treating fluid to seal the disks to the casing to form a separate compartment for each package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the interior of the packages to cause it to flow radially therethrough, and valve-means in the casing communicating with each compartment and operated by the pressure of the treating fluid therein to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow from each compartment regardless of the permeability of the package therein.

11. In an apparatus for dyeing or otherwise treating textile packages, the combination of a kierhaving a bottom chamber, standpipes mounted in the kier and adapted to support groups of packages thereon, said standpipe communicating with the bottom chamber of the kier, a casing surrounding the packages on each standpipe and divided axially into separate compartments with each compartment adapted to enclose a package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the bottom chamber of the kier and the standpipes communicating therewith to cause it to flow through the packages, and valve-means for each compartment for controlling the rate,of flow of the treating fluid therefrom.

12. In an apparatus for dyeing or otherwise treating textile packages, the combination of a kier having a bottom chamber with a plurality of nozzles communicating therewith, package holders detachably mounted on the nozzles for communication with the hollow bottom of the kier, each of said holders comprising an irmer perforated tube on which the packages are mounted and an outer casing surrounding the packages with sealing disks between adjacent packages extending between the inner perforated tube and the outer casing to provide a separate compartment for each package, means for supplying a treating fluid under pressure to the holders to cause it to flow through the inner perforated tube and the packages in the comfor controlling the flow of the treating fluid from each compartment to maintain the rate of flow constant.

13. A package holder comprising a compartment for enclosing a textile package, said compartment being adapted to permit treating fluid to be supplied thereto .under pressure, an outlet aperture in the compartment for exhausting the treating fluid therefrom, and a flexible dia-' phragm cooperating with the outlet aperture to provide a measuring orifice to control the rate of flow of the treating fluid from the compartment, said flexible diaphragm being subjected to the pressure of the treating fluid in the compartment to reduce the capacity of the measuring orifice in proportion to the pressure of the fluid to maintain a substantially constant rate of flow therethrough.

14. A package holder comprising a compartment for enclosing a textile package, means for supplying treating fluid to the compartment under pressure, a valve-body communicating with the compartment and having a measuring orifice for exhausting the treating fluid there-- from, a flexible diaphragm cooperating. with the measuring orifice to control the rate of flow of the treating fluid from the compartment, said diaphragm having an opening overlying the oriflce with measuring slots at the sides of the opening, and a pressure chamber at the side of the diaphragm opposite the valve-body whereby the diaphragm is subjected to the pressure of the treating fluid in said chamber to control its position with respect to the oriflce.

15. An apparatus of the type indicated com- I 2,850,191 partments, and valve-means in the outer casing opening at the periphery of the annulus whereby pressure applied at the center of said annulus is transmitted through the opening to expand the ring beyond the periphery of the annulus.

16. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a perforated tube for mounting a series of hollow packages to adapt a treating fluid to be supplied thereto under pressure to causeit to flow through the packages, a casing surrounding the packages mountedon the tube, and sealing means between the ends of adjacent packages forming a separate compartment for each package, said sealing means consisting in an annular member comprising overlying .plates with an opening therebetween, and a continuous expansible ring of U-shape in'cross-section positioned between said plates at the periphery of the member whereby the pressure of the treating fluid applied through the perforated tube at the center of the member is transmitted through the opening to expand the ring beyond the periphery of the member and also laterally to seal its sides against the plates.

17. An apparatus of the type indicated comprising a perforated tube for mounting a group of hollow packages to adapt a treating fluid to be supplied thereto under pressure to cause it to flow through the packages, a casing surrounding the packages mounted on the tube, and sealing means between the ends of adjacent packages forming a separate compartment hr .each package, said sealing means comprising an annular member having spaced flanges at its outer periphery forming an annular opening communicating with its central opening, and a ring of resilient material positioned in the peripheral opening of the annular member, said ring being of U-shape in cross-section whereby the pressure of the treating fluid applied-through the perforated tube at the center of the member is transmitted through the annular opening in the member to expand the ring beyond the periphery of the member and also laterally whereof to seal its sides against the spaced flanges.

HORACE H. RAYMOND. 

